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Spaceship Earth has terrible steering, which in the very long term will be a problem as the Sun starts becoming a red giant. But over time I can imagine steerin

Spaceship Earth has terrible steering, which in the very long term will be a problem as the Sun starts becoming a red giant. But over time I can imagine steering becoming possible: https://dwheeler.com/essays/move-spaceship-earth.html https://dwheeler.com/essays/move-spaceship-earth.html

h2odragon 6y ago
Salute for long term thinking there; but what about the shorter term? If we straightened the earth's axis could we eliminate winter and condemn the dwellers of the bereft nightlands to eternal cold; and gain a lack of winter for those of us with sense to live where the water is liquid? I'd love to do it but the planet as a unit is too squishy to apply that much energy to it. I'd like this to happen before next winter; but apparently it'll take centuries if we add the "and dont kill all life on the planet" as a requirment.
- chr1 6y ago
  We could eliminate winter on most of earth in a much simpler way, and generate lots of electricity as a side effect, using ocean thermal energy conversion plants [1]. Using thermal gradient of ocean near equator they generate electricity and heat up deep water, which results in stronger gulfstream, and another set of heat exchange plants in the arctic uses temperature difference between air and water, (which is normally separated by ice in the winter). This will result in much milder climate everywhere. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion#Climate_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversio...
  - thefounder 6y ago
    Sounds like hacking the climate. We all know there will be a lot of "bugs" before we get it right.
    - chr1 6y ago
      Yes, but it is a slow and gradual process, and will be useful in unfinished form too by providing extra fish and electicity, so we'll have plenty of time for debugging.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
lukifer 6y ago
See also: https://qntm.org/moving https://qntm.org/moving
ModernMech 6y ago
This movie might interest you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth "In the year 2061, after countless wildfires, volcano eruptions, changes of global temperatures, sea level drops, species extinctions, vanishing cities and protests, the aging Sun is about to turn into a red giant and threaten to engulf the Earth's orbit within 100 years, forcing the nations of the world to put aside their own politics and to consolidate into the United Earth Government to initiate a project to migrate the earth out of the Solar System to the Alpha Centauri system 4.2 light-years away, thus preserving further human civilization, known as the Wandering Earth project."

h2odragon 6y ago

Salute for long term thinking there; but what about the shorter term? If we straightened the earth's axis could we eliminate winter and condemn the dwellers of the bereft nightlands to eternal cold; and gain a lack of winter for those of us with sense to live where the water is liquid? I'd love to do it but the planet as a unit is too squishy to apply that much energy to it. I'd like this to happen before next winter; but apparently it'll take centuries if we add the "and dont kill all life on the planet" as a requirment.

chr1 6y ago
We could eliminate winter on most of earth in a much simpler way, and generate lots of electricity as a side effect, using ocean thermal energy conversion plants [1]. Using thermal gradient of ocean near equator they generate electricity and heat up deep water, which results in stronger gulfstream, and another set of heat exchange plants in the arctic uses temperature difference between air and water, (which is normally separated by ice in the winter). This will result in much milder climate everywhere. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion#Climate_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversio...
- thefounder 6y ago
  Sounds like hacking the climate. We all know there will be a lot of "bugs" before we get it right.
  - chr1 6y ago
    Yes, but it is a slow and gradual process, and will be useful in unfinished form too by providing extra fish and electicity, so we'll have plenty of time for debugging.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

lukifer 6y ago

See also: https://qntm.org/moving https://qntm.org/moving

ModernMech 6y ago

This movie might interest you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth "In the year 2061, after countless wildfires, volcano eruptions, changes of global temperatures, sea level drops, species extinctions, vanishing cities and protests, the aging Sun is about to turn into a red giant and threaten to engulf the Earth's orbit within 100 years, forcing the nations of the world to put aside their own politics and to consolidate into the United Earth Government to initiate a project to migrate the earth out of the Solar System to the Alpha Centauri system 4.2 light-years away, thus preserving further human civilization, known as the Wandering Earth project."